Since the promulgation of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, there has been a lot of debate, albeit intermittently, on the issue of national and official language of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Article 251 of the 1973 Constitution grants Urdu the status of Pakistan’s national language, yet clause 2 of the same says that “… English language may be used …

Analysing the factors behind the fiasco The result for CSS-2016 written exam has shell-shocked many as only 202 candidates, out of 9643 who appeared, could actually make it. Although pass percentages in recent years have been on the decline — 15.77 percent (2009), 8.26 percent (2010), 9.74 percent (2011), 7.95 percent (2012), 2.09 percent (2013), 3.33 percent (2014) and 3.11 …

In the recent years, the menace of terrorism has emerged as a global phenomenon and the most daunting challenge to world security. Pakistan is also not immune to this curse and has been caught in the tentacles of this monster since long. The recent surge in terrorist incidents in the country points toward the urgency of reinvigorating the National Counter …

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, paid an important visit to the United States on Nov 15-20, 2015. This five-day visit underscored security issues facing Islamabad and Washington in the region and it was attached “unprecedented” importance especially because of the expectations attached by the US authorities to Pakistan’s role for restoring peace in Afghanistan. The visit …

No words can suffice the feelings of pain and agony the nation is experiencing after the traumatizing Peshawar carnage. The viciousness and savagery of the killers has crossed all limits of callousness one can ever think of. But, the souls of innocent martyrs are asking: “Will our killers be brought to justice ever, and will their sacrifices salvage other children …

“What then is government? An intermediate body set up between the subjects and the Sovereign, to secure their mutual correspondence, charged with the execution of the laws and the maintenance of liberty, both civil and political.” | Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract) Being a social contract by nature, a constitution is the submission of the state citizens in return to …

Metaphors are central in the forming of perceptions. These have greater impact on recipients. The closest in metaphor resembling Pakistan’s crisis is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is a problem play. When folly reaches a point, the wrongdoers eliminate each other. What in fact happens is that everyone distorts the reality to fit the circumstances. What happens to executives is that the …

Today’s Most Pressing Need It is often said that CSS is a test of one’s intelligence, capabilities and talent as it helps brilliant minds in climbing up to the top rung of the success ladder. But, is it really so? This is the moot point, especially in the wake of CSS-2014 written part result, which has baffled numerous aspirants. The …

Democracy in Pakistan | Always on the Tenterhooks   It is often said that democracy is the best form of government that is functional in most countries of the world today. It is hard to negate that the countries where democracy put its roots down reached the zenith of development and good governance within no time. The exemplary development of …

“I can assure you that there is nothing greater in this world than your own conscience and, when you appear before God, you can say that you performed your duty with the highest sense of integrity, honesty and with loyalty and faithfulness.” (Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Broadcast Message February, 1948) The unfolding of events in recent weeks has not only …